Trial by secret jury
The first annual journalism awards drew strong criticism from the media when a judge won the prize for the very category he was adjudicating. This time, during the second annual journalism awards, the government was careful not to repeat last year’s howler. And they managed. How? By concealing the identity of the jury. The public – and that includes the media – did not, and still does not, know who this year’s judges were. In fact, it appears that the judges themselves do not know who their fellow judges were! Being cautious is one thing. But being secretive is…